Introduction
Performing research has been an essential aspect of many fields and occupations throughout history. Scientists, philosophers, sociologists, medical practitioners, educational scholars, and government and non-government organizations constantly research various topics to assess hypotheses and make discoveries. Research consists of various components, which make up a credible piece of literature. The most crucial part is the aim and objectives of the study, which guide the research project in achieving the overall goal. This essay explores how research objectives address the research aims to produce a quality paper regarding Winston and Patterson’s article “An Integrative Definition of Leadership.”
The Aim and Objectives of the Article
All research must have an aim that states the project’s overall purpose. In a research paper, the aim statement follows objectives that describe the project’s desired outcomes (Sekaran & Bougie, 2019). The article aims to present a wholesome and comprehensive definition of leadership from various existing definitions to give people a clear understanding of the concept.
According to the authors, many definitions of leadership focus on different aspects, which may be confusing or incomplete in addressing the term (Winston & Patterson, 2006). Therefore, a solid definition is essential to encompass all the aspects of leadership for better understanding. The study’s objectives included gathering literature with definitions of the term and defining and explaining each definition according to isolated aspects to find a standard definition.
How the Research Objectives Help Address the Aim of the Research
Objectives play various roles in addressing the aims of the research. An objective guides the whole project by providing specific steps to be followed and data collection approaches to achieve the project’s purpose. It acts as a roadmap by outlining the direction of the research, such as topics to be covered and approaches to address the topics to reach conclusive remarks (Setting Smart Objectives, 2020; Lawlor & Hornyak, 2012). The article’s objective provides the approach that will be used to explore the topic: examining and explaining definitions of leadership from various literatures individually. The explanations will allow the researchers to relate the term and come up with a standard definition that fulfills the aim of the article.
Another function of objectives in addressing the project is clarifying the purpose of the paper. As defined above, an aim presents the overall purpose of an article. Hence, objectives break down and clarify the aim to allow researchers and the audience to clearly understand the subject (Saunders et al., 2015). The breakdown includes achievable and relevant targets that help accomplish the aim. For instance, the objectives in Winston and Patterson (2006) break down the aim by clearly stating the section that will be examined when examining and explaining definitions of leadership from different literatures. Thus, the audience gets more clarity on the contents of the paper, which leads to its purpose.
Lastly, objectives help evaluate the project’s success to ensure it has met all the desired expectations. An objective helps identify progress by examining if all topics have been explored and to what extent, to ensure the research is covered comprehensively (Collis & Hussey, 2013; Saunders et al., 2015). Thus, achieving each objective guarantees the accomplishment of the aims since they represent steps that guide the project. The objectives in the article guided the researchers in ensuring all definitions of leadership are covered by assessing how the sections are explained and examined. Therefore, the researchers can assess their work and create a credible piece that covers all aspects to accomplish their aim.
Conclusion
Overall, objectives play a significant role in addressing the research aim by guiding the project in a structured manner, allowing the researchers to follow a specific order to accomplish the project’s goal. Researchers use objectives to evaluate the project’s accomplishment and whether the desired expectations are met to produce credible material. Therefore, objectives are essential in research since they make the research process easy to follow to achieve credible results and accomplish the project’s aim.
Bibliography
Collis, J. and Hussey, R. (2014) Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Lawlor, B.K. (2012) ‘Smart Goals: How the Application of Smart Goals can Contribute to Achievement of Student Learning Outcomes’. Development in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning. Web.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2023) Research methods for business students. Harlow: Pearson.
Sekaran, U. (2019) Research methods for business: A skill-building approach. New York: Wiley.
Setting smart objectives – Chartered Management Institute (2020) Chartered Management Institute. Web.
Winston, B.E. and Patterson, K. (2006) ‘An Integrative Definition of Leadership’. Virginia: International Journal of Leadership Studies.